Justin Harrell, MD joins SIMEDHealth Primary Care

SIMEDHealth welcomes Justin Harrell, MD to SIMEDHealth Primary Care. Dr. Harrell earned his medical degree from LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport where he also completed residencies in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. Dr. Harrell is available to provide care for adults and children in our Gainesville Primary Care clinic.

1. When did you know you wanted to be a doctor?

While I've had a propensity for helping others for as long as I can remember, I truly decided to pursue medicine in my late high school years, at around 16 years old.

2. What attracted you to Internal Medicine and Pediatrics?

I enjoy the duality of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. The ability to take care of children; monitoring their development through light-hearted and friendly well child visits, while simultaneously being able to reassure parents during the stresses that come with a sick child, and still being able to apply critical thinking and compassion towards the more complex conditions that come with adulthood is very fulfilling.

3. What are conditions you enjoy evaluating and treating?

While I always prefer to share in my healthy patient's successes, and am comfortable treating a wide variety of illnesses in the primary care setting, I find that helping my patients juggle the complexities of their overlapping conditions is the most stimulating. Usually, this means managing their diabetes, hypertension, or weight issues while also paying attention to their mental health concerns.

For my Pediatric patients, while it's always satisfying helping a kid feel better when they are ill, nothing is better than getting to joke and play with them during a well child exam, especially seeing them master a skill they were struggling with at a prior visit, like skipping or balancing on one leg.

4. What inspired you to join SIMEDHealth?

When our family moved to the Gainesville area, we were looking for the "perfect storm" of living arrangements. We wanted to be closer to my sibling and their partner, needed a good school for the kids, and of course, a place to work. During my interviews and discussions with SIMEDHealth, everyone was happy and engaged. They all seemed to enjoy their work, and doing it with this practice. It felt like a good place to settle down, and the opportunity to help build our Pediatrics department allows me to both partake in the kind of care I enjoy, and provide a service to the community.

5. What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Outside of work, I mostly spend time with my family. We've been able to enroll our daughter in multiple extracurricular activities and will surely do the same as my son gets older. Beyond that, I enjoy a good book, especially High Fantasy, and playing video games with my spouse.